Just Friends
by BluEyes1120
Summary: (AU: Takes place in high school) Trish and John have been best friends since they were kids. Not only does Trish have to deal with the typical everyday pains of being a high school senior, but her best friend's girlfriend hates her and Trish can't understand why. After all, they're just friends. But they won't be for much longer and Nikki is out to make sure of it.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"BOO!"

"Jesus Christ! You scared the shit outta me!" Trish scolded him as she clutched her chest. She watched as the goofy smile spread across her best friend, John Cena's, face. He threw his head back and laughed loudly.

"You should have seen the look on your face!" John teased, still chuckling.

Trish rolled her eyes. "Very funny, jackass."

"Aw, don't be mad at me." John slid his arm around Trish's waist and squeezed her tight. He stuck is bottom lip out and batted his beautiful blue eyes at her.

Trish chuckled softly. "You're lucky Cena."

"JOHN!" A voice shouted loudly, interrupting their conversation and bringing the busy hallway to almost silence.

It was like nails on a chalkboard to Trish's ears. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was. John turned towards the direction of the voice.

"Um... Ya want to get over _here_ where you _belong_? You know, with your _girlfriend_."

"I'll be right there babe. I'm just talking to Trish," John answered. John looked at Trish, giving her his 'sorry' eyes. "I'll talk to you later?"

Trish scoffed. "Yeah… If she lets you."

"Oh stop! I don't need it from you too."

"Better get over there before she throws a hissy fit, besides, the bell is about to ring and I gotta get to Physics class."

"Okay. I'll text you later," John called to Trish as he hurried away.

* * *

Trish closed the door to her bedroom and dropped her book bag on the floor. She sighed loudly as she plopped onto her bed. She laid back and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, trying to clear her head before she started her homework. Just as she got comfortable, her phone went off. She dug her phone out of her pocket and looked at the screen. It was a text from John.

_Hey Midget – J_

She smiled at his message. John and Trish had been best friends since before kindergarten. They grew up two houses away from each other and still live in the same houses. He called her Midget for as long as she could remember and she called him Meathead. It was their 'thing.'

_Hey Meathead – T_

_What are you up to? – J_

_Nothing. Getting ready to start on homework – T_

_Homework is for dorks! :-P – J_

_Ohhhh excuse me for wanting to actually make it out of high school and into college. You do realize were only 4 months from graduating, right? – T_

_Oh course. I cant wait to get the hell outta there! – J_

She chuckled at Johns answer.

_I know, you tell me all the time – T_

_Look I wanted to apologize about earlier – J_

_I seriously don't know why she hates me so much. I've never done anything to her – T_

John was dating Nikki Bella, the most popular girl in their high school, and also the biggest bitch. All the guys wanted her and all the girls wanted to be her. Nikki hated Trish with a passion and Trish didn't know why. If Trish was honest with herself, she really didn't particularly like Nikki either but that was because she treated John like shit. John always waited on Nikki hand and foot. He did whatever she wanted, bought her anything she wanted, and it still was never enough for her. She always had something to bitch about when it came to him.

_She doesn't hate you – J_

_Haha! Yeah okay. You keep tellin yourself that Meathead – T_

_She doesn't! She just hates everyone haha – J_

_Just more so me. I don't know what I ever did to her. I've been nice every time I had to talk to her – T_

_Don't sweat it Midget. You're my best friend, you're in my life and she'll get over it – J_

_Okay Meathead, I've got tons of homework to do and a paper to finish so I'll talk to ya later – T_

_Alright Midget. See you tomorrow – J_

* * *

"Well don't we look like a sunny, happy, ray of sunshine this morning," Natalya joked as she slid into Trish's white Ford Explorer her father had bought for her as an early graduation present.

"Shut it," Trish warned with a glare.

"What wrong with you?"

Trish sighed loudly. "I was up super late last night. I had a ton of homework and a paper to finish writing last night."

"Did you finish Mrs. Fisher's crazy ridiculous paper?"

"Yeah. It took me half the night, but it's done. Did you finish it?" Trish asked.

Natalya frowned. "It's not done well, but it's done. I'd rather turn in a shitty paper than no paper at all."

Trish pulled into the parking lot of the high school and began looking for a parking spot. After a short search, she found a spot and parked. Natalya and Trish grabbed their bags and headed into the school. The hallways were bustling with loud students enjoying their freedom before the school day started. The girls made their way to their lockers to swap some books for their morning classes. As Trish was looking through her locker to ensure she had everything she needed, her locker door suddenly slammed shut on her. She jumped slightly and turned to see what happened. She was surprised when she was met by the sight of Nikki Bella.

"You had _better_ stay away from _my_ boyfriend," Nikki warned, pointing a finger in Trish's face. The edge to her voice was piercing. "I hate to kill your _pathetic_ little fantasy but he's _mine_ and that's _not_ going to change so keep dreaming."

"What the hell are you talking about Nikki?" Trish snapped.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You're jealous of me. You want what I have but guess what? You'll never have it!'

Trish clenched her jaw, trying to stop the venom that was threatening to spill through her lips. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I don't want your boyfriend. John is my best friend. He's been my best friend since we were kids. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.'

"Ladies..." John's voice broke through the heated conversation. Trish and Nikki looked away from each other and towards John's voice. "I assume were getting along nicely, right?"

Nikki scoffed loudly and rolled her eyes. "Just having a little chat with her baby, that's all," she answered with a fake smile."

John shot her a look. He was clearly not buying Nikki's explanation. His eyes moved to Trish. He could see she was seething. "Tri...'

"I gotta get to home room," Trish snapped, cutting him off. She quickly spun on her heel and headed off down the hallway followed closely behind by Natalya.

John turned his attention back to Nikki. "Was that necessary?" he scolded with a frown.

"She needed to be put in her place."

"She's my best friend Nikki and you know that. F-R-I-E-N-D," John spelled out dramatically. We've been friends since we were little kids. We grew up together for Christ's sake. There's nothing going on between us so just leave it alone! I don't know how many other ways to tell you that'll get it through your head!"

* * *

Trish sat in home room tapping her pencil roughly on her Economics book. She was going over the incident with Nikki over and over again in her head. Each time making her angrier than she already was.

"You know if you keep tapping that pencil like that I'm gonna take it and chuck it out the damn window?"

Trish snapped out of her angry thoughts and focused on the boy in front of her. She frowned at him. Randy Orton, who was also one of her good friends, had twisted around in his seat to face Trish.

"What's got your panties in a knot?"

"I'm not in the mood right now Randy."

"I see that. So like I asked, what's got your panties in a damn knot?" Randy retorted sarcastically.

"Nothing. I'm fine," she answered as she subconsciously began tapping her pencil again.

Randy quickly reached out and grabbed the pencil out of Trish's hands. He promptly snapped the pencil in half and tossed it across the room into the trash can.

"Seriously Randy?"

Randy shrugged as a cocky smile spread across his lips. "Hey, at least I warned ya first. I don't usually give warnings. You have to admit, that was a nice shot though... Nothin but net."

Trish chuckled softly at Randy. "So conceited."

"I know," Randy answered with another cocky smile. "So let's go... Out with it... What's your problem?"

Trish scoffed. "What's my problem? Nikki... Nikki Bella is my problem."

Randy nodded with a knowing smile. "She's still giving you problems?"

"Ugh... Yeah... I don't know what her issue is. We're friends... We've been friends since we were kids..."

"What did she do now?" Randy pressed.

"I was at my locker with Nattie this morning getting some stuff out and all the sudden my locker slammed shut. I turn around and there she is with this look of pure hate on her stuck up, snobby, face. Then she opens her mouth and it all goes downhill from there."

"Did ya hit her?" Randy joked with a grin.

Trish chuckled. "No I didn't hit her."

"She should have!" Natalya interjected.

"Damn!"

"She starts running her mouth to me about 'stay away from my boyfriend,' yadda yadda yadda with her finger pointed in my face..."

"Where was John?" Randy questioned.

"He walked up before we really had it out," Trish answered.

"And what did John have to say?"

"I don't know. I walked away before I snapped out," Trish answered, bluntly. "I don't know why she can't just get it through her thick skull. We're best friends. That's it. We've been for years. There's nothing romantic between John and I... There never was..."

"Did you ever think she feels threatened by you?" Randy posed.

Trish stopped for a moment and thought about what Randy had just said. "Why the hell would she feel threatened by me? She's the prettiest girl in this entire high school. It's the prettiest girl most handsome guy in school relationship. I'm just... Me."

"Maybe because she knows you know John better than anyone... Better than her and John and you two have a bond that she'll never have with him."

"But it's nothing romantic..."

Just then the bell sounded, signaling the end of home room. All the students began to get up and head towards the door for their first period classes. Randy waited patiently as Trish gathered up her things.

"I'm gonna run. Mr. Moser will have my head if I'm late again," Natalya called to Trish as she rushed towards the door.

"Okay Nattie. See you in third period," Trish called back.

Randy gestured for Trish to go first. "Come on, I'll walk you to first period."

Trish smiled. "You're such a gentleman."

"I know, I can't help myself," Randy retorted as his trademark cocky grin spread across his lips yet again. He slid his arms around Trish's shoulders as they headed to the B wing of school. Trish had first period French and Randy's first period German class was directly across the hall. "Don't let her get to ya, Smalls. She'll get over it," he reassured her, giving her a gentle squeeze.

"Thanks Randy, I needed that," sliding her arms around his waist and giving him a squeeze back.

"Anytime Smalls. I'll see you after class."

Trish continued on her way into French class and took her seat. Her teacher, Madame Heller, promptly began handing out tests as soon as the bell rung.

"Les étudiants, vous avez toute la période pour compléter ce test. Rappelez-vous, il compte que la moitié de votre note. Placez-le sur mon bureau lorsque vous avez terminé et absolument pas parler."(Students, you have the entire period to complete this test. Remember, it counts as half of your grade. Place it on my desk when you're done and absolutely no talking.)

About fifteen minutes into class, Trish could hear her phone vibrate in her bag on the floor. She decided to ignore it and continued her test. Five minutes later she could hear her phone vibrating again, then again, and again. Trish nervously shifted her eyes to Madame Heller, She was sure Madame Heller had heard her phone because she heard everything. Trish watched Madame Heller who continued to read her book at her desk. Trish slowly reached down and unzipped the pocket of her bag and pulled out her phone. She carefully sat back up and hid her phone under her desk as she hit the power button to see who was calling her. Her phone lit up and it read '4 New Messages.' She opened her message box and there were four messages from John.

_Hey – J_

_Hello? – J_

_Why aren't you answering me? – J_

_I take it you're mad at me? – J_

Trish sighed softly and rolled her eyes.

_Can't talk, taking a test – T_

Trish slid her phone back into her bag and went back to taking her test. After a few seconds she could hear her phone vibrating again. She shook her head and ignored it. Then it vibrated again.

"Je sais que je n'ai pas entendu le téléphone de quelqu'un d'aller hors de ma classe," Madame Heller warned, looking up from her book. (I know I don't hear someone's phone going off in my class.)

Trish waited for Madame Heller to go back to her book and slowly reached down and pulled her phone out again.

_I need to talk to you – J_

_About what? – T_

_This morning – J_

_There's nothing to say – T_

_Yes there is – J_

_I gotta go – T_

Trish turned her phone off, dropped it back into her bag, and went back to concentrating on her test. Her mind kept straying from her test and back to the incident from the morning and what John wanted to talk about. She struggled to finish her test and just finished by the bell. Trish got up and walked up to Madame Heller's desk to turn her test in.

"Trish, je suis surpris que vous. Il ne vous faut une période complète pour effectuer un test," Madame Heller questioned. (Trish, I'm surprised at you. It never takes you a full period to complete a test.)

"Je suis désolé madame Heller. J'ai beaucoup sur mon esprit. Passez une bonne journée," Trish apologized. (I'm sorry Madame Heller. I've got a lot on my mind. Have a good day.)

"Obtenez votre tête droite. Tu es mon meilleur élève. Rendez-vous à la chère du matin." (Get your head straight. You're my best student. See you in the morning dear.)

Trish headed out the door where Randy was waiting for her.

"How'd you do Smalls?" Randy asked with a smile. "Like I even have to ask. You aced it like always."

"I dunno. I think I bombed it," Trish answered with a frown.

Randy looked at Trish with a confused look. "You think you bombed? I've never in the four years I've known you heard you say that before."

"John was texting me. He said he wants to talk but I don't really want to talk about it again. Maybe it would be better if he and I weren't friends?"

"Are you serious?" Randy asked, shocked. "You two have been friends since diapers. You two are best friends. Why in the hell would you say that?"

"He shouldn't have to put up with the shit he does. Nikki already treats him like shit and being friends with me is just adding to the problem. She starts shit with me, he feels bad and apologizes to me, and then she starts fighting with him. It's a vicious circle. She'll never like me and she'll never accept us being friends."

* * *

**AN: Thanks for reading! Hope you guys like this one! Reviews are very much appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Are you okay?" Natalya asked, finally breaking the silence of their ride home.

Trish nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You haven't spoken a word to me the entire ride home."

"Oh… I'm sorry. I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind right now, that's all," Trish answered as she pulled up out front of Natalya's house.

"Okay. I'm just checking. You know I'm here for you if you wanna talk, right?"

Trish smiled. "I know Nattie. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay girl."

Natalya slid out of Trish's car and closed the door. Trish sat out front until Natalya opened her door. She waived bye and then pulled away to continue on her way home. She reached over and turned on the radio. She caught the ending of one song and the next song began to play. It was Taylor Swift's "I'd Lie." She let the song play for a few minutes, listening to the words.

_I could tell you his favorite color's green  
He loves to argue, born on the seventeenth  
His sister's beautiful, he has his father's eyes  
And if you asked me if I love him,  
I'd lie_

Trish rolled her eyes at the song and reached over and turned off the radio. She was at the last stop sign before her house anyway. She made the right turn onto her street made her way to her driveway. As she pulled into the driveway something on the deck caught her attention. Putting her car in park and turning off the ignition, she focused on the patio. John was sitting on the deck with her mother talking. Trish sighed loudly and put her head down on the steering wheel.

"I really don't feel like having this conversation right now…" she whined to herself, banging her head softly on the steering wheel. "Maybe they didn't see me… I'll just back out slowly and quietly…"

Just then she noticed John's eyes focused on her and she knew she was busted. Trish's mother turned around to see what John was looking at and smiled brightly at her daughter as she waved hello to her.

"Damn it!" she whined. She sighed loudly again as she grabbed her bag and a book out of the back seat. She begrudgingly got out of the car and started on her way towards the deck.

"Hi honey!" her mother called out to her.

"Hey mom." Trish swung open the gate to the yard and made her way up to the porch.

"Will you be staying for dinner John?"

"Not tonight mom. My mother is ordering pizza for us tonight. I just stopped by to see Trish," John answered.

"Okay dear. I'm going to head back in and start dinner." She gave Trish a kiss on the cheek before disappearing back into the house.

"You could at least pretend to be excited to see me," John joked.

"You really camped out on my deck with my mother waiting for me?"

"Uhh… Yeah… That's exactly what I did," John answered sarcastically. "You wouldn't answer your phone. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Oh shit!" Trish rummaged through her bag in search of her cell phone. After a few seconds of digging, she pulled it out. "It's still turned off," she told him as she turned her phone back on.

"Well I'll tell you now; you can expect to get a bunch of messages from me."

Trish placed her phone on the table while it booted up. A few seconds later her phone went haywire as all of her missed messages came through at once. She gave John a look as her phone continued to go off.

"Hey, I warned ya," John answered with a shrug.

"Well, I'm listening. What did you want?"

"You know what I want," John answered bluntly.

Trish sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I know. You want to apologize about earlier, you want to tell me you're sorry for what Nikki said, you're sorry for what Nikki did, you want to tell me that Nikki doesn't hate me yet again, and you want to tell me Nikki just has to get used to us being friends and she'll get over it."

"Wow. I think you might have nailed that conversation word for word," John answered.

Trish frowned. "I know I did and that's because we have this same stupid conversation all the time. Nikki says whatever then you feel bad and you apologize for her."

John was at a loss. He didn't know what to say. He knew she was right. He knew they've had this conversation for what seemed like a million times now.

"John... Maybe... Maybe wejustshouldn'tbefriends," Trish said quickly, running her words together, looking away from him and down at her feet.

John blinked slowly, trying to process what she just said. "What?"

"Maybe we shouldn't be... Friends... Right now," Trish repeated slowly.

"Are you fuckin kidding me right now?" John snapped.

Trish shook her head 'no' silently.

"You just want to throw away all these years of friendship? You're my fuckin best friend, Trish. And you just want to stop being friends?"

"Wait a minute! I never said I didn't _want_ to be friends, John. I just said maybe we _shouldn't_. Maybe it would be better if we weren't _right now_."

"And tell me why we _'shouldn't'_ and how it would be _'better'_ if we weren't?" John snapped.

Trish could clearly see that John's temper was quickly rising. "John... You have enough problems with Nikki already. I feel like I'm just adding to the problem. I hate to see you go through that shit over and over again just because of me. I don't want to lose you in my life at all John, but I want to see you happy. I don't want to keep being the source of constant argument between you and Nikki like I've been."

"So that's your answer? To just throw away our friendship? That'll make everything better?"

"You won't have to argue with her almost everyday about me," Trish shot back.

"Real great fuckin answer," John answered bitterly as he stood up.

"You're not listening to me John. I said I don't _want_ to lose you from my life but I want you to be _happy_, even if that means I have to do without you. It's just one big vicious circle. It's the same thing over and over again."

John stopped and turned back around to face Trish. "That's the thing. I'm _not_ going to do without you. Like I said, you're my best friend. You're always going to be my best friend and you're always going to be a part of my life. Do you think I'd be happy without you in my life? Nikki is just going to have to deal with it. Just… Let me talk to her. I'll work it out, I promise."

Trish could see the sincerity in John's icy blue eyes and she could feel herself caving. She sighed softly because she knew she was no match for those blue eyes. "Okay… Fine."

A large smile spread across John's lips. He bent down slightly and grabbed Trish's hand, pulling her up to feet, and into his arms for a tight hug. "Thank you Midget," he whispered into her hair, kissing the top of her head.

"You got it Meathead," she answered, smiling into her chest.

"Okay… Let me get going before my brothers eat all the pizza," he told her as he released her from their hug. "Talk to you later?"

Trish nodded her head 'yes.' "Talk to you later."

Trish stood on the deck, watching John walk to his house. She stayed there until he disappeared into his front door. When he was out of her sight, she picked up her bag, book, and phone before heading into the kitchen where her mother was cooking dinner.

"What was that all about honey?" her mother asked as soon as she dropped her bag on the floor. "That seemed like a pretty intense conversation."

Trish scrunched up her face into a frown as she picked up a piece of cucumber her mother was chopping and popped it into her mouth. "I'll give you one guess."

Trish's mother shook her head with a knowing frown. "That little witch at it again?"

"When isn't she?" Trish asked rhetorically as she pulled plates down from the cabinet to set the table for dinner.

"What did that little witch do now?" her mother questioned with a disapproving frown.

"Oh she just slammed my locker door in my face and told me to 'stay away from' her 'boyfriend' in front of everyone in the hallway this morning…"

"She did what?" her mother asked, shocked.

Trish nodded her head 'yes.'

"That's ridiculous honey."

"I know mom… I don't get it either."

"You know what it is? She's jealous of you and she feels threatened by you. That's why she's giving you such a hard time," her mother surmised.

Trish frowned and shook her head. "I don't think so mom. She's the prettiest girl in high school. All the guys want her and all the girls wish they were her. She's got nothing to be jealous of. I'm just… Me."

"You're just you? You're a smart, funny, caring, sweet, beautiful young lady. You have lots of friends that you'd do anything for. And your best friend just happens to be one of the best looking guys in school if I do say so myself," her mother added with a wink.

Trish chuckled at her mother's answer. "Right… Friend… The whole 'friend' thing seems to be the part she can't comprehend."

"I think she comprehends it honey. I think she knows you have such a strong bond with John, you know so much about him, the way he thinks, his secrets… You just may know him better than she does and maybe that's why she sees you as a threat or competition. So she keeps at you and keeps at you in hopes of pushing you out of the picture so she doesn't have to compete with you anymore."

"But mom, she doesn't have to compete with me. He's hers… All hers. I'm not trying to take him from her."

"Well she kind of does. She already knows John's stance on this issue. He's already said he's not going to throw away his friendship with you because he's dating her," her mother pointed out as she carried a heaping bowl of mashed potatoes over to the table.

Trish sighed loudly. "Can we talk about something else now mom?"

"Sure honey. Dinner is ready anyway. Let's sit down and eat."

* * *

Trish laid on her bed, her belly overly full from the delicious meal her mother had cooked for dinner. She debated on taking a shower now or reading the chapter of the novel she had to read for English class. The sound of her phone going off distracted her from her internal debate. She reached over and grabbed her phone.

_Hey girl – N_

_Hey Nattie, what's up? – T_

_Nothin. I just wanted to check on you and see how you were – N_

_I'm okay – T_

_Have you talked to him? – N_

_He was sitting on the deck when I got home – T_

_LOL was he? – N_

_Yeah he was – T_

_And? – N_

_We talked – T_

_Details woman, details! – N_

_I told him I didn't think we should be friends right now, that I wanted him to be happy and that I felt that he couldn't be happy as long as we were friends because him and Nikki fight everyday about it – T_

_YOU TOLD HIM YOU DIDN'T WANT TO BE FRIENDS?! – N_

_No, I told him we shouldn't – T_

_Same damn difference. What did he say? – N_

_He flipped – T_

_And?! – N_

_He gave me those eyes and I caved :-/ He said he'd talk to her, that he'd work it out, and he promised – T_

_Good! I was going to smack the shit outta both of you if you two let all those years of friendship go because of her being an immature little brat – N_

_Yeah yeah :-P Alright. I'm gonna go take a shower then read that stupid chapter for English class – T_

_Okay girly. I'll see you in the morning – N_

_You had better be ready when I get there tomorrow or I'm leavin your ass! – T_

_You know me, always fashionably late! – N_

_Wouldn't be you if you weren't late – T_

* * *

It had been just another normal boring school day. Trish had made it through half of the school day without any Nikki incident, so that made it a good day. All that was left was gym, lunch, Government and Politics, study hall, and then she could finally go home. She pushed the locker room door open and made her way to the back corner lockers. Her friends Cameron and Naomi were already there pulling out their gym clothes.

"Hey girl," Naomi greeted Trish with a smile.

"Helloooo ladies."

Naomi and Cameron giggled at Trish's greeting. She pulled open a locker and threw her school bag into it, then opened up her gym bag and pulled out her gym clothes. The three girls quickly changed and Trish reached up to put her change of clothes into the locker when it suddenly slammed shut. Trish rolled her eyes, already knowing who it was, and who she was with by the sounds of the cackling. She turned around and was correct in her assumption. Nikki and her little 'gang.' Her twin sister Brie Bella, AJ Lee, and Layla were standing behind Nikki, cackling at her handy work.

"So you _think_ crying to _my_ man is gonna stop me?" Nikki seethed through clenched teeth. "You're _dead_ wrong. You're _nothing_ but a _problem_ and I'm _not_ gonna stop until you're completely _out_ of the picture!"

* * *

**AN: Thanks for the reviews guys! You guys are awesome! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Why don't you just back off!" Naomi said, stepping between Trish and Nikki.

"Why don't you mind your own damn business!" Nikki snapped. "No one's talking to you."

"You're right; you're not talking to me because if you were I would have knocked your teeth down your throat. You are on the other hand talking to my friend, and I don't like the way you're talking to her."

"Ugh… Come on Nikki. These… Things are so beneath us. Let's not waste our time talking to such lowlifes," AJ interjected with a look of disgust.

"Lowlife? I got your lowlife you little troll," Naomi spat as she lunged towards AJ.

Trish grabbed Naomi before she could do any damage to AJ. "Naomi, stop! They're not even worth it."

"Oh they're worth it," Naomi retorted, still struggling to get out of Trish's arms and at AJ.

Nikki extended her arms out to either side, herding her little clique behind her. "Let's go. We've got better things to do than waste our time on losers like this."

"The only losers I see are you guys!" Cameron shouted.

"Remember what I said. Stay away from my man! And it's only a matter of time until you're gone!" Nikki called on her way out the locker room door.

AJ kissed her hand and blew the kiss in their direction, smiling sweetly. Naomi lunged in the direction of AJ again, causing her to quickly scurry out the door.

"I can't believe those bitches!" Cameron shouted, exasperated.

"Ooooooo… That little troll has no idea how damn lucky she is! If I woulda gotten my hands on her…"

"It would have been bad," Trish interjected with a chuckle, breaking the tension.

Naomi chuckled at Trish's answer. "I woulda rung her scrawny little neck… You're definitely gonna tell John about Little Miss Thang's stunt today, right?"

"No… It's not even worth it…" Trish answered.

"What?! Girl, you had better tell him. She needs to be put in her place!"

Trish didn't say anything, just shrugged.

"Come on. We better get out there before we're late," Cameron pointed out.

The three girls quickly finished putting their belongings away and hurried out the locker room door before they were late for class.

* * *

After gym was over, Trish showered quickly and changed. She grabbed her bag and joined Naomi and Cameron. They were all headed to the cafeteria to meet up with Natalya. After making her way through the lunch line with her salad and bottle of water, Trish headed to her lunch table where Natalya was already waiting with Kaitlyn.

"Hey sunshine."

"Hey Nattie."

"What's wrong with you?" Natalya questioned.

"Nothing… I'm fine," Trish answered as she shoved a fork full of lettuce in her mouth.

"Nothing? She's a damn liar!" Naomi corrected as she sat down.

"Oh no. What happened now?"

Naomi launched into reiterating the earlier argument between the girls. Trish zoned out as the rest of the table gossiped about the earlier events. She was content, lost in her own thoughts, with the sounds of the loud cafeteria blocked out. Trish was finally disturbed from her thoughts by a shove from Natalya.

"What?" Trish asked, snapping back to attention.

"Welcome to the conversation, space cadet," Natalya joked, earning a giggle from the rest of the girls at their table.

Trish smiled. "Sorry… I zoned out."

"Well Kaitlyn asked you a question."

"Sorry Kaitlyn. What was your question?" Trish asked.

"I was asking about prom. Does anyone have their date for prom yet?" Kaitlyn asked excitedly.

"Well of course I do," Natalya answered with a smile. She had been dating her boyfriend, Tyson Kidd, since freshman year.

"Not you! Of course we already know you're going with Tyson. I mean the other ladies," Kaitlyn scolded.

A giddy smile spread across Naomi's face.

"Who are you going with?" Kaitlyn pressed.

"Jimmy asked me."

"Jimmy Uso?" Natalya asked.

Naomi nodded. "Yes!"

"Aww! That's sooooo cute! You've been crushing on Jimmy Uso for the last two years. That's awesome!" Trish gushed.

"What about you Cameron?"

"I have a few offers out there, Kaitlyn, but I haven't decided on who I'm picking yet."

"Well excuuuuuuse me!" Naomi joked.

"Trish?" Kaitlyn asked, turning all the attention to her.

"No one…"

"What do you mean no one?" Natalya asked, confused.

"I didn't ask anyone, and no one asked me yet," Trish explained.

"Umm… What the hell are you waiting for? You had better hurry up before all the cute guys are taken and you have to go with some total creepster like Brad Maddox," Natalya warned with a shudder.

"Well Nattie, I figured I'd wait until hell froze over," Trish answered sarcastically. "What about you Kaitlyn? Who are you going with? You must have a date considering you're so giddy about prom."

Kaitlyn smiled. "Well… It just so happens that… Wade Barrett asked me to prom!"

Cameron clapped excitedly for her friend. "Check you out! You got asked to the prom by one of the hot jocks! You go girl!"

Kaitlyn beamed with pride. The lunch bell rang and the girls picked up their trash, and headed towards the door to the hallway.

"Personally, I think you should go with John," Kaitlyn added nonchalantly.

Trish glared at Kaitlyn. "Seriously?"

"Yes seriously. You two would be perfect together and for each other. The two of you are just too busy lying to yourselves that you two don't have feelings for each other," Kaitlyn answered with an as-a-matter-of-factness to her voice.

"We're not lying to ourselves because there is nothing romantic between us. We're just friends…"

"Yeah, you two keep telling yourselves that," Kaitlyn quipped. "It's there and it's there big time. You can see it when the two of you look at each other and when the two of you are anywhere around each other."

"I agree with Kaitlyn," Natalya said as she quickly scurried away from Trish and down the hallway towards her next class with Kaitlyn.

Trish just rolled her eyes and shook her head. Cameron told Trish and Naomi she'd see them later as she went on her way towards her next class. Naomi walked up the steps and continued on to the E wing with Trish.

"Wanna take my Spanish test for me?" Naomi joked.

"Oh non, je ne veux pas prendre votre test d'espagnol, d'ailleurs, je parle français idiote."  
(Oh no I don't want to take your Spanish test, besides I speak French silly.)

Naomi shrugged. "Eh it was worth a try. See you later girly."

"See you later Naomi."

Trish continued on her way three more doors down to her last period, study hall. She was lost in her own thoughts as she walked into the class room. She wandered over to her usual seat, dropped her bag on the floor, and sat down.

"In your own little world, aren't ya?"

Trish smiled. "Do you always have to pick on me Orton?"

"Of course I do," Randy answered with a grin as he twisted around in his seat to face her. "Hey, I have a question for ya…"

Trish looked up from her notebook. "If your question has anything to do with John, I'm going to punch you in the face. Fair warning."

Randy frowned. "Why the hell would I ask you anything about him?"

"I'm just covering my bases."

"Well… I uhh… I wanted to ask if… I wanted to ask if you'd go to the prom with me."

Trish smiled softly. "Had a hard time with that, huh?"

"Shut up. Just answer the question," Randy shot back, rolling his eyes.

"I'm actually really surprised you asked me."

"Why?" Randy questioned.

"I dunno. I just figured you'd go with Torrie," Trish answered.

"Eh… We're not talking right now."

"Ahhh… So I get to be the rebound date? Awesome."

Randy frowned again. "Did I ever tell you that you're an ass?"

Trish giggled. "You may have mentioned it a time or two."

"It's our senior prom. I want to have a good time. We're good friends, we get along, and I think we'd have a good time together."

Trish nodded in agreement. "We are good friends and we do get along." Trish could see the agitation growing on Randy's face with her answers.

"Well? Will you go with me?" Randy asked again.

Trish thought about it for a minute. "You know what? Yes I will go with you Randy."

"Awesome," Randy answered with his conceited smile.

"But be warned. My favorite color is lavender, and that's the color dress I'm going to wear, so… You're gonna have to wear it to match me."

"Look at this face. I can pull off any color," Randy answered with a grin.

Before they knew it, the end of the day had come and the final bell rung. Trish picked up her bag off the floor and followed Randy out the door into the hallway.

"Come on. I'll walk you to your locker."

"Ever the gentleman."

"You know it," Randy answered with a grin as he extended his arm and linked arms with Trish.

After a short walk, they arrived at Trish's locker. She opened her locker and dumped a few books into her locker.

Suddenly Randy wrapped his arms around Trish's waist and pulled her into him tightly. He bent down and kissed the top of her head before releasing her. "Alright Smalls. I'll see you in the morning?" Randy told her.

"Okay… See you in the morning," she answered, slightly confused by his actions. It wasn't the first time he had hugged her or anything, but she was surprised by the tenderness in the hug and the softness to his voice.

She watched as Randy began to disappear down the hall and out a side door. A pair of eyes looking back at her which caught her attention. She focused in and realized it was John watching intently. The look on his face was odd.

"Ready to go?"

Natalya's voice caught Trish's attention. "Uhh yeah. Let's get outta here."

Trish closed her locker and made her way out to her car with Natalya following closely behind. The girls climbed into Trish's Explorer and she wasted no time turning the car on and getting the hell out of that parking lot.

"So ya wanna tell me what the hell all that was about?" Natalya asked after a brief silence.

"What was about?"

"The whole Randy thing that I totally witnessed and John looking livid down the hall?" Natalya clarified.

"I'm not sure about John, but Randy asked me to go to the prom with him during study hall today, then he walked me to my locker, gave me a hug, and gave me a kiss on the top of my head before he walk away."

"Aww that's sweet. You two are good friends; you'll have a great time. I am surprised he's not going with Torrie though," Natalya thought out loud.

"Randy told me he and Torrie weren't talking right now."

Natalya nodded. "I guess they're still not talking after the big fight they had in the middle of the lunchroom two weeks."

Trish shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so."

"Well then what was so weird about it?"

"The hug was weird," Trish answered.

Natalya look that Trish confused. "How was the hug weird? It's not the first time he's ever hugged you."

"It was different this time. He's never hugged me with such tenderness before or with such softness in his voice. And the very gentle kiss..."

"Well at least now you know Randy has a soft side and he's not a cocky, conceited, prick all the time," Natalya said with a chuckle. "I didn't notice that though because I was too busy looking at John. He looked like he was about to explode from the look on his face."

"I'm guessing him and Nikki were fighting again. I'm not sure though. I haven't talked to him all day."

Just then Trish pulled up in front of Natalya's house. Her mind was still racing a mile a minute about the events that took place before school ended.

"I think you're over thinking things. You and Randy are friends. He hugs you all the time. Don't let your mind drive you crazy thinking about it," Natalya suggested.

"Yeah, I think you're right. I'm probably just over thinking Okay I'll see you in the morning. Only one more day to get through and then finally the weekend. Maybe we can hit the mall this weekend look for prom dresses together before all the good ones are gone."

"Sounds like a plan. See you in the morning."

Trish waited until Natalya was in her house before she drove away like she always did. She drove slowly the rest of the way trying to clear her mind before she got home. After pulling into the driveway she grabbed her bag and her book off the front seat and headed into the house. When she got into the house it quiet and empty. She headed into the kitchen to see if her mother was in there. There was a note on the kitchen table from her mother.

_I'll be home late tonight honey. I made you dinner and put it in the fridge. I know you're going to love it! I'll be home around 7:30 after my meeting is done. Dad is working late tonight. See you when I get home!_

_Love,  
Mom _

Trish took the salad her mother had left her out of the fridge. It was her favorite tomato, mozzarella, and basil. Trish grabbed a fork and headed up to her bedroom with her bag and dinner. She turned on the television and caught one of her favorite shows _Two and a Half Men_. After she was done eating she took her bowl back down to the kitchen and washed it out. She grabbed herself a cup of ice and a can of coke before returning to her bedroom. When she returned to her bedroom, she placed her cup on the night stand, and then focused back on the TV. _The Big Bang Theory_ was on now. After about twenty minutes of being engrossed in the show her phone went off. Trish reached over to her night stand and picked up her phone.

_Hey – J_

_Hey you – T_

_Sup? – J_

_Nada. Just watchin some TV. You? – T_

_Nothing – J_

_What's with the one word answers? – T_

_I don't know – J_

_Well at least I got 3 words that time – T_

_Yeah – J_

_What's your problem? – T_

_You and Randy looked awful chummy together today – J_

_We're friends… – T_

_He asked me to go to the prom with him and we were talking about it – T_

_You're going to prom with Randy? – J_

_Yeah why? – T_

_Just asking – J_

_Why are you being like that about it? – T_

_I'm not being like anything. I'm just having conversation with you – J_

_Seems like you're mad at me – T_

_Not at all. I'm gonna go take a shower. Talk to you later – J_

"What the hell is up his crawl?" Trish asked herself out loud.

* * *

**AN: Thanks for reading! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I'm already working on the next one. Thank you so much for the reviews! I love them! Keep them coming! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Trish was rushing around her room in order to get Natalya and to school on time. She grabbed her phone, threw it in her bag, and rushed downstairs.

"Bye mom, love you!" Trish called to her mother as she ran by her in a blur.

Trish's mom chuckled to herself. "Bye baby. Have a good day and I love you," she called out the door after her daughter.

"Love you too mom," Trish called back to her mother as she got into her car.

Trish drove much faster than she should have and was at Natalya's house in no time. To her surprise, Natalya was already waiting out front for her.

"Sorry I'm late. I forgot to set my alarm last night," Trish apologized as Natalya got into the car.

Natalya giggled. "I guess its okay since I'm late nearly every day."

Trish again drove much faster than she should have and was able to get them to school in plenty of time. Trish and Natalya headed towards their lockers. To her surprise, Randy was waiting for her at her locker.

"Good morning beautiful," Randy greeted her, leaning against her locker.

"Umm... Good morning Randy."

"And how are you this fine morning?"

"I'm okay. Thought I was gonna be late. I forgot to set my alarm, but I managed to pick up Nattie and get here in no time," Trish answered. "Wanna move your ass so I can get into my locker?"

Randy sarcastically did a little shake, still standing in her way.

Trish giggled at his little dance. "What the hell do you call that?"

"You said to move my ass... So I moved my ass," Randy answered with his trademark cocky smile.

Trish smiled as she placed her hand on his hip and gave him a gentle shove. "Move your ass out of my way," she clarified.

"So what kind of flowers do you want?" Randy asked.

"What kind of flowers do I want?" Trish repeated, confused.

Randy frowned. "Prom... You know... That thing you agreed to go with me to?"

"Oh yeah... Right... Prom... It doesn't matter, whatever you get. Use your best judgment."

Randy rolled his eyes. "So helpful."

"Are you surprised?" Natalya joked.

"Not really," Randy answered with a smile.

"Randy, Randy, Randy... You're really stooping so far below your class sweetie," a new voice broke into the conversation. "You should be with someone in your class sweetheart, not someone who's lower than the dirt on your shoes."

Trish gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with Nikki's bullshit already this morning. She slowly turned around, preparing for Nikki's barrage.

"Oh Nikki, I'd only be stooping below my class if I were to pursue you," Randy shot back with a sly smile before Trish could say anything.

Nikki gasped at Randy's response. "Excuse me?"

"Oh you heard me correctly. And if you want to know my honest opinion, John's dating way below his class too."

Trish had to stifle a laugh at Randy's answer.

"You _must_ be blind. Just look at me. I'm beautiful. There's no other girl in this entire school who's even _half_ a pretty as me, and there isn't a guy in this school who wouldn't do anything and everything in their power to be with me and that's from the students straight up to the teachers," Nikki scoffed.

"I can think of one guy..."

"Oh yeah? And who might that be?" Nikki asked sarcastically.

"Me..."

Nikki laughed loudly. "Please, you'd drop everything if I gave you the chance."

Randy shook his head. "I definitely wouldn't. You may be pretty, Nikki, but you forget... Beauty fades. Your beauty will eventually fade and what will you be left with? Nothing because you'll still be a bitch." Randy wrapped his arm around Trish's shoulders. "Come on, let's get to home room."

Nikki stood in the middle of the hallway seething. Her blood was boiling. She was shooting daggers from her eyes directly into Trish's back.

"You know he's right," her twin sister Brie said after a few minutes.

Nikki quickly spun around to face her sister. "What?" she nearly shrieked.

"You heard me. Maybe you should try not being such a bitch all the time to everyone. And maybe you should leave that poor girl alone. She's never done anything to you and all you do is try to make her life hell," Brie answered before walking away.

"Well... I didn't see that coming," AJ added.

"Shut up AJ," Nikki snapped before storming away.

* * *

"Alright, what's going on between you and Trish?"

Randy turned around to face John. "What?"

"You heard me. What's going on between you and Trish," John reiterated.

"What's it to ya?" Randy asked while he shoved his bag into his gym locker.

"We'll... I..." John stumbled over his words, searching for his reason. "She's my best friend, that's what it is to me."

Randy bent down to tie his football cleats, ignoring John's question.

"Well?" John pressed.

"Better get you gear on before you're late for football practice," Randy answered as he tied his other cleat, still not looking up at John.

"Answer my damn question," John demanded, his patients wearing thin.

"Why don't you ask her?" Randy snapped.

John hesitated for a moment. "Because I'm asking you."

"I didn't know I had to answer to you."

"I thought you and Torrie were together anyway?" John questioned.

"No, Torrie and I aren't together. Why the hell do you care so much?"

"Like I said, she's my best friend… I'm just looking out for her," John said with increasing anger.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head. I can assure you I'm not going to hurt her," Randy answered with a grin.

John inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "Quit fuckin dancing around my question and answer me. What's going on between you and Trish?"

"Ask her…" Randy snapped as he grabbed his shoulder pads and helmet.

John watched silently as Randy walked out the door of the locker room. John's blood finally boiled over and he kicked the trashcan, sending it flying across the locker room and the contents spilling all over the locker room.

* * *

Trish was unusually tired so she took a shower early and crawled into bed at 7:00pm. She turned on her TV and set the timer just incase she fell asleep before she turned the TV off. Within minutes her eyes began to feel heavy and she started to nod off. Just as she closed her eyes, her phone went off, jarring her awake.

_What's going on between you and Randy? – J_

_What do you mean what's going on between Randy and I? – T_

_Exactly what I said. What's going on? – J_

_What's your problem? – T_

_I don't have a problem. Answer the question – J_

_Nothing's going on. We're just going to the prom together – T_

_Then why was he waiting on you at your locker this morning? – J_

_How did you know that? I didn't even see you at all today? – T_

_Just answer the question – J_

_He wanted to know what kind of flowers I wanted him to get, if that's alright with you – T_

_He couldn't just text you or call you and ask like a normal person? – J_

_Why does it matter how he asked me? – T_

_If there's nothing going on, why did his kiss you the other day and why has he been so touchy feely with you? – J_

_Why are you getting all bent out of shape about this John? Randy and I are friends. We're going to the prom together, as friends. I don't see what the big deal is? – T_

_I'm just trying to look out for you. I am your best friend, or did you forget that? I don't want to see you get hurt – J_

_Of course I didn't forget. Where's all this coming from? – T_

_I'm just looking out for you – J_

_Well thanks, I guess… – T_

* * *

"Boy do you look pleasant," Natalya stated sarcastically as she got into Trish's car.

Trish didn't say anything. She just glared at her friend. She turned her attention back to the road and continued towards the school.

"Alright, spill it. What's your problem?" Natalya pressed after a brief silence.

Trish didn't say anything again, she just handed her phone to Natalya.

Natalya quickly read through the conversation Trish and John had the prior night. "Wow…" was all she said.

"Yeah…"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say John's jealous."

Trish frowned at her friend's remark. "Why the hell would he be jealous?"

"Seeing you with Randy obviously makes him jealous."

"That doesn't make sense," Trish shot back.

"Well think about it. All these years you and John have been friends, you've never had a boyfriend. You were always at John's beck and call when he needed you. He's never had to deal with any kind of male competition before," Natalya reasoned.

Trish rolled her eyes. "There is no competition… Whatever… Let's just drop it. I really don't feel like talking about it anymore."

Natalya shrugged. "Whatever you want."

The two girls rode the rest of the way in silence. Trish pulled into a parking spot, and they both got out and walked into the school in silence.

"Hey, I'm gonna go find Tyson."

"Okay Nattie. See you in a little bit," Trish answered.

She continued down the busy hallway to her locker. Randy was waiting for her again at her locker.

"Morning," Randy greeted her.

"Morning."

"Yikes. What's got your feathers ruffled?" Randy asked with a chuckle.

Trish frowned. "Nothing."

"I can see that…"

Trish just glared at Randy.

Randy slid his arms around her waist and pulled her in, hugging her tightly. "Cheer up Smalls," he whispered in her ear.

Trish couldn't help but to smile. "Thanks Randy."

"Now that you've smiled, I'm gonna go grab something for breakfast before home room. Do you want me to bring you back anything?"

"No thanks."

"Alright Smalls. I'll see you in a few," Randy told her before disappearing into the crowded hallway.

"Yeah… Right… Nothing going on…"

Trish turned around to see John standing behind her. She sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. "Really John?"

"Really."

"Randy and I are friends, going to the prom as friends, there's nothing going on," Trish droned. "I really don't understand why we keep having this conversation… I'm tired of arguing about it. It's like the same argument we have all the time with Nikki."

"Not even close."

"You know, I miss my old friend John, not so much this new John… In all the years I've known you, we've never fought… Ever… Now that's all we do… It's sad really." Trish closed her locker and walked away from John and into her home room.

About ten minutes into home room, Trish could hear her phone vibrating in her bag.

_I'm sorry Midget. I don't mean to fight with you. I guess it's because Nikki and I keep fighting and I took it out on you and I shouldn't have – J_

Trish smiled at his message.

_That's okay Meathead. I don't wanna fight with you either – T_

_I'm a jerk and I'm sorry – J_

_No, you're not a jerk. It's okay. You know I still luv ya :) – T_

_I luv you too :) – J_

_What are you doing after school? – J_

_Nattie, Kaitlyn, and I are going prom dress shopping – T_

_I think I just threw up in my mouth – J_

_LOL you're such a butthead – T_

_I know. Take some pics and send them to me if you need help deciding on a dress :-P – J_

_Oh yeah, dress advice from Meathead, that's what I want! – T_

_Hey! I'm a pretty fashion savvy guy I'll have you know! – J_

_Won't you be with Little Miss Perfect tonight? – T_

_No, she's going out with her friends tonight – J_

_Awww… Meathead's all alone tonight – T_

_I know :( If you have nothing to do call me when you get home and we can hang out or something maybe? – J_

_Oh, I was supposed to meet up with Randy later. We were going to watch a movie at his house – T_

_Whatever then… Talk to you later… – J_

* * *

"Oh my god! Look at this dress! I absolutely love this dress!" Kaitlyn squealed, holding up a nearly neon yellow dress.

Natalya scrunched up her face in disapproval. "Don't you think that's a little bit too loud? What about this one?" she asked, holding up a deep navy blue dress with a line of diamonds encrusting the top of the dress and right under the bust of the dress.

"Oooo that's pretty too. Ughhh… There's too many options…" Kaitlyn wined.

"You haven't spoken a word this entire shopping trip," Natalya pointed out, giving Trish a playful shove.

"Sorry… Just have a lot on my mind."

"You and John fighting again?" Natalya asked softly.

Trish nodded her head 'yes.'

Natalya gave her friend a hug. "Tell me all about it."

"I dunno what happened. We were arguing this morning and I told him I missed my old friend and I was tired of fighting with him, then he texted me and apologized and everything was going great, he told me to send him pictures and he'd help pick out my prom dress," Trish explained. "Then he told me to call him later and we'd hang out, I told him I already made plans to go over Randy's and watch a movie, and he was just like 'whatever, talk to you later'."

Kaitlyn let out an exasperated sigh. "Why don't the two of you do yourselves a favor and just get together already!"

Trish shot Kaitlyn a glare.

"He's _jealous_ you're spending time with Randy! It's not rocket science, ya know?"

Trish rolled her eyes. "Can we just drop this conversation and shop?"

"Fine… But you know I'm right…" Kaitlyn added as she walked away.

Trish decided on a beautiful lavender dress. It fit her body perfectly. It was a beaded spaghetti strapped open back dress. The dress had silver beading all down the straps that crisscrossed at the top of her shoulders and all the way down the back, tracing the dip in the dress. The beading also came around the waist right under the breast line. She picked out a pair of matching lavender; peep toed heals to go with her dress.

"Girl you are rockin the shit outta that dress! John's gonna have a heart attack when he sees you!" Kaitlyn said, giving Trish another once over.

"It does look good, doesn't it?"

Natalya had settled on a strapless, sweetheart neckline, soft pink dress with a lace overlay and a pair of silver strappy heals. Kaitlyn settled on the deep navy dress Natalya picked out. It was made of satin and had a slit running up the right leg. She matched her dress with a pair of black high heals.

"I sooo can't wait for prom," Katilyn gushed.

"Neither can I!" Natalya added, giving herself a once over in the mirror.

"Well, let's get to buying and get the hell outta here!" Trish added.

* * *

**AN: Thanks for reading. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Thank you for the reviews! You guys are awesome! Keep the reviews coming! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After the day of dress shopping with the girls, Trish was spent. She really just wanted to go home and relax, but she had already promised Randy she'd come over. She hung her new dress up in her closet and put her shoes away. She went to grab her phone when it vibrated in her hand.

_Hey – R _

_Hey – T _

_Can we reschedule? I'm not feeling too well – R _

_Yeah no problem. I'm pretty tired myself after all that shopping with the girls – T _

_Did you find a dress? – R I sure did :) – T _

_Awesome! I can't wait to see it :-P – R _

_LOL you're a mess – T _

_I know – R _

_Okay, feel better and I'll talk to you later – T _

_Alright Smalls and thank you – R _

* * *

**_**TWO WEEKS LATER** _**

"Ahhh! I can't believe prom is today!" Kaitlyn squealed.

"I know! It feels like I've been waiting forever!" Natalya said with a grin.

"I pretty excited we get out early today," Trish added with a chuckle.

The girls giggled as they headed towards Trish's locker so she could drop off some unnecessary books before she drove them home. The girls had decided they would get ready at Trish's house and the guys and the limousine they'd rented would meet them at Trish's house.

"Hey, you haven't said anything about John and I haven't seen him in forever. Have you talked to him?" Natalya asked randomly.

Trish closed her locker. "Nope. I haven't talked to him since…" Trish thought about it for a minute. "I haven't talked to him in two weeks as of today."

"Well he's right down the hall at Nikki's locker if you wanna talk to him," Kaitlyn pointed out.

Trish turned her head and looked in the direction her friend was pointing in. John was leaning against Nikki's locker alone. He was already looking in her direction, but when Trish made eye contact, John looked away. There was no smile, no 'Hey Midget,' no nothing. It was almost as if he didn't notice she was standing there, although she knew he saw her. A shock of pain hit Trish directly in the heart at his coldness. After a few moments, Nikki turned the corner and joined John at her locker.

"Hi baby!" Nikki exclaimed much louder than she needed to.

John smiled widely at her. "Hello sexy."

Trish watched as Nikki wrapped her arms around John's neck and kissed him deeply. "Nah, I'm good. Let's go."

Kaitlyn and Natalya passed a look between each other but said nothing. The girls followed Trish out to her car and got in. Trish started the car and pulled out.

"Don't let them get to you," Natalya told her softly.

"I just can't believe he's acting like this," Trish said as tears welled up in her eyes. "I just don't get it."

Kaitlyn squeezed Trish's shoulder from the backseat. "I can always stuff her in the trashcan in the bathroom if you want?"

Trish giggled. "That would make for an epic prom."

* * *

After what felt like hours of hair, makeup, and dressing, all three girls were finally ready. Natalya had opted to wear her hair down in loose waves. Kaitlyn decided on a sophisticated side ponytail which she had curled. Trish had her hair done in a curly up-do with a few loose curls framing her face.

"Girls! The gentlemen are here!" Trish's mother called up the steps.

Natalya and Kaitlyn immediately headed downstairs to meet their dates. Trish gave herself another look in the mirror to make sure she looked okay. She grabbed her clutch and picked up her phone. She looked at her phone and silently debated to text John. After a momentary internal struggle, she decided against it, threw her phone in her clutch purse, and headed downstairs.

"Wow!" Randy's mouth hung open slightly as his eyes wandered up and down Trish's body.

"Hey watch it! That's my baby girl you're talking about!" Trish's mother warned.

Randy flashed his killer smile. "My apologies, but I can definitely see where she got her beautiful looks from."

"Oh Randal!" Trish's mom gushed. "Let's get everyone together for pictures!"

Randy pulled a beautiful corsage out and took Trish's arm. "Beautiful flowers for an even more beautiful girl."

Trish smiled and her mother began snapping picture after picture.

"Okay, let's line up so I can get a nice group shot," Trish's mother instructed.

Trish took her place in front of Randy and he slid his arm around her waist. Natalya and Tyson followed suit and Kaitlyn and Wade took the last spot.

"You look fuckin smoking hot!" Randy whispered in Trish's ear.

"Smile guys." Trish's mother fired off at least ten more pictures. "Oh, the limo is here guys!"

Trish turned around to face Randy. "You really had to say that right when my mother was about to take a picture?"

"What are you taking about?" Randy asked, faking an innocent smile.

"Do you know how hard it was to keep a straight face?"

Randy shrugged. "Hey, when you're hot, you're hot and I had to tell you."

"Well… Thank you," Trish answered with a chuckle.

* * *

The limo pulled up out front and everyone filed out of the car. The girls straightened out their dresses before heading inside the lobby of the hotel that was hosting their prom. Once they got inside, they found Cameron, Naomi, and the Uso twins waiting for them.

"Grrriiiilllll! Look at you!" You look awesome!" Naomi gushed as she gave Trish a hug.

"Thank you, so do you," Trish said, reciprocating Naomi's compliment.

The couples headed over to the linen for their prom pictures to be taken. They all chatted while patiently waiting for their turn. Trish and Randy were finally next. She was lucky enough to catch both John and Nikki's attention. John quickly turned his attention back to Nikki when Trish caught his gaze. Nikki's fire engine red dress and lips matched the look she gave to Trish when she saw her.

"That color is perfect for her. Really makes her look like the evil devil she really is," Kaitlyn quipped.

Trish giggled at Kaitlyn's comment, earning her another death stare from Nikki. When John and Nikki were done with their pictures, they disappeared into the ballroom. There was no wave 'hi,' no 'Hey Midget,' no smile, nothing from John. Trish couldn't help but to feel a twinge of pain in her heart at the coldness of her best friend. Trish shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, not wanting her pain to show in her pictures. She walked up and took her place. Randy came up behind her and slid his arm around Trish's waist. The photographer told them to smile.

"Smile pretty Smalls," Randy whispered.

Prom was going surprisingly well. The food was great and the DJ was amazing. He was playing such good songs, there was virtually no one sitting at the tables. Trish was having such a fun time with Randy and her friends, she didn't even think about the incident with John earlier and she'd managed to basically steer clear of Nikki. Trish, Randy, and the rest of the girls were dancing and having a great time when they heard a loud commotion behind them.

Trish turned around to see what was going on. John and Nikki were involved in a very loud and heated argument which drew everyone's attention. Many of the students were getting closer to get a better look at the argument. Trish decided she wasn't going to get involved and just stayed where she was. She turned her attention back to Randy and tried to ignore the twinge of pain in her heart that she felt for him. After a few more minutes of yelling, their argument ended with Nikki storming out, followed closely behind by her little clique. Trish fought off her instant urge to run to John's side to comfort him and continued her focus on Randy.

After awhile of dancing, Trish grabbed Randy's arm and pulled him down to her.

"I'm gonna go grab a drink. Do you want one?"

"Sure."

Trish made her way to the bartender to get herself and Randy, sodas. "Two Cokes please."

"Sure thing," the bartender answered with a smile. A few minutes later, he returned with two glasses of Coke in his hand and slid them across to Trish.

"Thanks," she said with a smile as she picked up both glasses. She took a sip of her drink and back up, bumping into someone. She turned around to apologize and was met by John's icy blue eyes. "Sorry," she mumbled as be begun to walk away.

"That's it?"

Trish stopped and turned around. "I said I was sorry, what more do you want?"

"How about a hi?" he asked.

"Hi," she answered shortly.

"Wow, do you really hate me that much?"

Trish could see the emotion in John's eyes. She knew there was something wrong, something on his mind. She took two steps and placed the drinks on the table. "Of course I don't hate you John. You know that."

"Hmmm… Could have fooled me…"

"Are you serious right now John? You were the one who got all cold and distant towards me. You were the one that stopped calling or texting me; you were the one who stopped answering my calls and texts!" Trish finally reached her boiling point and exploded.

"Well maybe if I didn't have to see you flaunt _Randy_ in front of my face I wouldn't have acted that way!" John snapped.

"So what? I'm just supposed to live some lonely, single life because you don't want me but you don't want to see me with anyone else either?" Trish shot back. "Furthermore, what's it matter who I'm with? You're with Nikki, remember?"

"Yeah well maybe that's the problem! Maybe I do want you!" John exploded.

Trish's mouth hung slightly open. She stood there in a stunned silence, trying to process what was just said. John was quiet as well. The look on his face was as if he was stunned by his own words.

"Finally!"

Trish turned around to see Randy standing behind her.

"It's about time you finally admitted it," Randy said with a cocky smile.

"Admitted what?" John snapped, sneering at Randy.

"That you like her, ya jackass! It took a little coaxing, but I finally go it outta ya."

"What are you talking about?"

Randy sighed and shook his head like the answer was as plain as day and explaining it was totally unnecessary. "I knew all I'd have to do was ask Smalls to prom and it would dive you nuts. I knew it would piss you off so bad. And I knew if I got all touchy feely with her, you'd loose your mind. And just like I thought, you did. You got all crazy jealous and finally snapped."

"Wait a minute," Trish interjected. "You only asked me to go to the prom with you because you wanted to piss John off?"

"Well… No… That's not the only reason," Randy began to explain.

"It's not the only reason?" Trish pressed.

"Well, Torrie and I got back together but she had to go out of town to see her grandfather who is sick. She would be back by Friday, but not early enough to make it to the prom. Her and I were talking and I was telling her about the abuse you take because of Nikki and how I know deep down the two of you were made for each other, so her and I came up with the plan to get you two together. And besides, you don't know how tired I am of hearing John pine over you nearly everyday…"

"So you're telling me I was a game?"

"Well… No… I knew you and I would have fun together anyway. We're friends… And we always have a good time together. I didn't think you'd be mad about it…" Randy said.

"I'm glad he did it," John blurted out, breaking into the conversation.

Trish stopped in stunned silence again. She blinked slowly, trying to process everything that was happening. "You are?" she asked, looking at John.

"Yeah… I am. He made me come to terms with something I knew for so long… But just kept trying to fight. I didn't want to chance messing up our friendship, but I can't pretend I don't have feelings for you or that I'm 100% happy being just friends."

"I don't even know what to say right now," Trish finally said after a brief silence.

"Dance with me?" John asked simply.

Trish looked at Randy. "Well… I… I mean… Randy…"

Randy nodded his head towards John and smiled. "Go ahead Smalls, dance with him. I'm gonna blow this popsicle stand anyway. Torrie just got home. I need to go see my lady anyway."

Trish didn't say anything. Randy slid one arm around Trish's shoulders and gave her a squeeze then a gentle nudge towards John before disappearing out of the ballroom. John extended his hand and Trish softly placed her hand into his. He gently pulled her close to him and placed his hands on the soft skin of her bare back and scooted her even closer to him so he could feel every inch of her tiny frame against him. She snaked her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest. He rested his cheek on the top of her head, breathing in her scent deeply. At that very moment it felt like time stood still. Trish couldn't hear anything other than the rhythmic beating of John's heart. It was as if they were the only two in the room.

"Even in heels you're still a Midget," John joked.

Trish smiled. "Shut it Meathead."

"You know, this feels… Perfect… You in my arms."

Trish nodded. "Yes it does."

John smiled and went back to silently enjoying Trish being in his arms.

"That bitch! Who the hell does she think she is dancing with my man?" Nikki seethed through clenched teeth. "You do _not_ touch things that belong to me, especially _my_ man; she's going to have to be taught a lesson. I'm going to show her she messed with the wrong girl!"

* * *

**AN: Thanks for reading! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for the reviews as well! Keep them coming! You guys are the best! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The night was coming to an end. The DJ announced for everyone to hit the floor for the last dance. Natalya and Tyson were already on the dance floor, Wade was dragging Kaitlyn to the floor, and Cameron and Naomi were already on the floor with the Uso boys.

"May I?" John asked, extending his hand to Trish.

Trish smiled and placed her hand into John's. He gently pulled her up off of the chair she was sitting on and lead her to the dance floor. When he found a suitable spot, he stopped and twirled Trish around to face him. He held her close to him through the entire song. When the song was through, the lights came on, and students began grabbing their things, saying their goodbyes and heading out.

"Is John going to be riding home with us?" Kaitlyn asked with an I-told-you-so grin.

Trish looked up at John with question in her eyes. "If that's alright with you," John answered, looking down at her.

"Of course," Trish answered with a smile.

John reached out and took Trish by the hand and the group headed out front to meet their limo driver. They all piled into the limo and the driver began the drive home. Conversation was minimal but cordial on the ride home. John and Trish were to be the first dropped off. The limo driver pulled up out front of Trish's house and opened the door of the limo for them. John stepped out first and then turned back around to help Trish out. Trish and John said their goodbyes to their friends and thanked the driver. The limo driver closed the door and hurried back around to the driver's door, and continued on his way to drop off the rest of the passengers.

"Come on, let me walk you to your door," John said, taking Trish's hand again.

They walked up the path to her front door in silence. When they got to the door, Trish turned around to face John. There was an awkward silence for a minute between them. Trish knew she had to bring up the subject, but she also knew she didn't want to. She didn't want to ruin the perfect night they'd shared.

With a soft sigh, Trish mustered up the courage to approach the subject. "So what..."

John quickly dipped his head down and captured Trish's lips, stunning her for a moment. He gave her a soft, sweet kiss. He placed his forehead on top of her forehead. "Let's not talk about it. I don't want to spoil this perfect night," he answered as he rubbed her cheek softly with the pad of his thumb.

Trish didn't say anything, just nodded her head in agreement.

John kissed her one more time. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Trish smiled softly. "See you tomorrow."

"Go ahead inside."

Trish unlocked the door and pushed it open. She stepped into the house and turned back around to see John.

"Good night beautiful," John told her with his gorgeous smile. He then turned around, shoved his hands in his pockets, and started the short walk across the street to his house.

"Good night John," Trish whispered back.

Trish closed the door and locked it. She leaned against the door with a big, goofy smile on her face. She sighed softly to herself, mentally reliving the events that had taken place that night.

"Did you have a good time baby?" Trish's mother asked, startling her and taking her away from her thoughts.

Trish smiled a wide smile. "Actually mom, it was an absolutely amazing time."

"Come, come. Sit down and tell me all about it honey," her mother instructed as she patted the couch cushion next to her excitedly.

Trish walked over to the couch and sat down next to her mother. She kicked off her high heels and turned to face her mother. "Well, Randy was a lovely date. We took pictures, ate, and danced together. John and Nikki got into a huge argument in the middle of the prom and she walked out on him!"

Trish's mother frowned. "Such a little witch!"

"Well, John and I didn't talk at all until I bumped into him… Literally… When I went to get drinks for Randy and I. John and I ended up in an argument. I tried not to really talk to him because he hadn't talked to me in weeks but he got mad about the fact that I hadn't made any effort to talk to him and all this stuff. The argument between John and I got really heated. He was yelling at me and I was yelling at him, and somehow during our argument, John ended up blurting out that seeing me with Randy made him jealous… So that infuriated me and I went off that what was I supposed to do? Sit around, living some single life because he didn't want me and didn't want to see me with anyone else either?"

Her mother nodded her head, eager for her daughter to continue.

"Then John blurted out that maybe that. Well by this time Randy had walked over to see what was going on and he walked over just at the moment John shouted at me that was the problem that maybe he did want me… Well then Randy, in typical Randy fashion, goes 'Finally.' I was confused by Randy's reaction so I asked him what that was about and he finally told me that asking me to prom was all part of his plan..."

"What do you mean, part of his plan?" her mother pressed.

"Well Randy told me that he and Torrie had been back together but her grandfather was sick and she went out of town to see him and wouldn't be back in time to make it to the prom. He said that he was telling her about the shit Nikki does to me because of John and I's friendship and from there they devised a plan to get us together. Randy said he knew that if John saw Randy and I together it would drive him nuts with jealousy, and well... His plan worked."

A wide smile spread across her mothers face. "And?" she pressed excitedly.

"John and I spent the rest of the prom together. We danced, he rode home in the limo with me, he walked me to the door, and... He kissed me," Trish answered with a goofy grin.

Her mother chuckled. "I'm happy for you baby!" Her mother reached over and hugged her daughter.

"Thanks mom."

"I'm glad after all these years the two of you finally see what everyone else has seen for the last... I don't even know how many years."

"You saw it?" Trish asked, surprised by her mother's revelation.

"Of course sweetheart."

"But how?"

Her mother smiled softly. "You could always see it in both of your eyes. You two look at each other the same way your father and I look at each other. I always knew when the time was right; the two of you would figure it out." She took Trish's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "So does this mean you and John are now an item?"

Trish giggled at her mom. "An item? That sounds so old-fashioned."

Her mother narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "Thanks for calling me old honey, I love you too."

Trish giggled. "That's not what I meant! But no, we're not an item."

"What do you mean you're not an item?" her mother asked confused.

"We're not together," Trish reiterated.

"Okay, I'm thoroughly confused now. You two had this magical night, kissed, but that's it. Nothing about the direction of the two of you or when he's dropping that little witch he calls a girlfriend?"

"We didn't talk about where we're at now or what any of this means... I was going to bring it up but he said he didn't want to spoil the night talking about that," Trish answered. "I agreed with him. I didn't want to spoil our night either. I wanted it to end on the beautiful note it did," Trish answered with another goofy grin. "He said he'd talk to me tomorrow and I just left it at that."

Her mother didn't say anything this time, she just nodded her head.

"I'm sleepy, mom. I'm going to head up to bed."

"Okay honey. I'll see you in the morning. I love you dear, and I'm so very happy for you baby. You deserve it finally."

"Let's not get too excited about it yet mom. We'll just have to wait and see what happens now. I love you too mom."

Trish made her way to her bedroom, still feeling like she was walking on air. She stopped in the bathroom first to wash off all of her makeup and brush her teeth before going to bed. When here teeth were clean and her face was clean, she made her way to her bedroom. She began the tedious task of removing all the bobby-pins from her hair. Next she took off her dress and hung it up, she then slipped into her pajamas, and then into her bed. Before she knew it, she was sleeping peacefully.

* * *

Trish opened her eyes slowly, rubbing the sleep from them. She sat up in bed, stretched, and yawned loudly. She looked at her clock and was surprised by the time. The clock read 1:07pm.

"Well, that explains why I feel so refreshed," she said out loud to her self with a chuckle. "Nothin like wasting a Saturday sleeping all day."

She reached over to her bed side table and picked up her phone. 2 Missed Calls and 5 New Messages it read. She clicked on her call log and saw Natalya had called her twice. She then went to her text messages next. She was slightly disappointed when John's name wasn't there. 

_Hey! – N_

_Hello? – N_

_Wanna go to the mall? – N_

_ANSWER YOUR PHONE WOMAN! – N_

_Call me when you get up butthead – N_

Trish giggled at her friends name calling before texting her back. 

_Sure I'll go to the mall with you – T_

_Jesus! It's about time you frickin answered! – N_

_LOL! Let me just take a shower and I'll be at your house in a half an hour – T_

_Sounds good – N_

Trish dropped her phone on her bed and headed off to the bathroom. She quickly showered and got ready to leave. She grabbed her purse and phone before heading downstairs. She walked out the backdoor, locking it on her way out. She turned and started to her car, but stopped dead in her tracks. Her mouth hung open slightly from shock. She slowly made her way over to her car and silently took in the sight before her. Her front windshield was shattered, the door glasses were busted out, there were scratches and gouges in the paint of her car, two of the tires were slashed. Hateful words like 'whore', 'bitch', 'boyfriend stealer', 'payback's a bitch', 'watch your back', and 'slut' were scrolled all over her car in blood red lipstick. Trish felt like breaking down into tears. She slunk down to her knees and tried to steady her breathing. 

_I don't think I'm going to be going anywhere anytime soon – T_

_What do you mean? Did Johnny Boy show up? :-P – N_

_No – T_

Trish took a picture of her car and sent it to Natalya. 

_OMG! What happened to your car?! I bet we already know who is behind this! – N_

_Yeah... I'd only need one guess... – T_

_Did you call the cops yet? – N_

_No, not yet. I just found it – T_

_You had better call the cops girl. I'm on my way! -N_

Trish reluctantly called her mother. 

_Hi honey! You're awake! I just ran out to do some errands done and I didn't want to wake you_, her mother's voice came through the phone.

"Hey mom..."

_What's wrong baby?_ Her mother knew instantly there was something wrong just by the sound of her daughter's voice.

"Are you close to being home?"

_I'm not far, why? What's wrong? Are you okay?_ Her mother asked in a panicked voice.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just need you to come home though."

Moments later Natalya was running up Trish's driveway towards her. She completely ignored the car and dropped to her knees next to her friend. Natalya wrapped her arms around her friend and held her close as she finally broke down into tears. Natalya sat holding her friend silently trying to ease her pair.

About ten minutes later, Trish's mom pulled into the driveway much faster than she should have. She quickly turned off her car and jumped out, leaving the drivers door open and ran to her daughter. She stopped for a moment and surveyed the damage.

"Oh my God! Who could do something like this?" her mother shouted rhetorically. She pulled out her cell phone from her purse and immediately dialed the police. She turned to face her daughter, "Don't you worry baby. We'll get this taken care of. Thank you Natalya for being such a great friend and coming all the way over here."

"Anything for this girl. She would have done the same for me."

Within minutes, two police cruisers pulled up out front of Trish's house. The first officer got out and surveyed the damage from he cruiser and shook his head.

"Ready for this one Charlie?" he asked his partner as he walked up next to him.

"This is gonna be a messy one George."

* * *

**AN: I'm soooooooo sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out but it's finally here! Thanks for reading and I hope you guys enjoyed it! I appreciate the reviews so much! Keep them coming, you guys are great!:)**


End file.
